Staff - MTU Crawford College of Art & Design

Louise Foott

Head of Department

Arts in Health & Education

BIO

MTU Crawford College of Art and Design is a vibrant multi-campus college, which has been providing education in the arts for over a 100 years.

Within the Department of Arts in Health & Education we work from a belief that different disciplines make different aspects of the world visible. Our goal is to role model and provide training in expressive ways of knowing and understanding, both focused inwardly on knowing ourselves and outwardly, on knowing the world. Exploring how the arts connect us to others and the world is a key concern of the Department. The Department offers postgraduate programmes in Art Therapy, Art and Design Education and Arts and Engagement, along with short courses and level 8 and 9 certificates which are exploring and providing training in arts pedagogy, arts-based facilitation and art therapy.

PROJECTS

The Creativity Tonic https://creativitytonic.ie/

We believe a healthy imagination is vital to our health. Whether engaging with the offerings of others or creating for ourselves, the arts are a tonic for our imagination. They engage our senses, connect us to others, develop our capacity to slow down and notice the world around us. They can enable us to explore alternatives and inspire us to take action. Now more than ever we need to nurture our imagination, our capacity to picture alternatives.

The Creativity Tonic is a hub for many of the creative and mindful resources available to support and engage us. From creative activities to sustain the five ways to wellbeing, creative contributions from staff and alumni to exhibitions and links to other websites which will stimulate your creativity. Drink deeply and share the tonic with others.

Creativity & Change Project https://www.creativityandchange.ie/

The Irish Aid funded Creativity & Change Project believes that creative engagement can support transformative learning experiences that connect the head, hand and heart and nurture competences of global citizens that are important for the sustainable future of our world. The programme provides training and workshops, targeting change-makers, educators, activists, artists, community workers, adult educators, youth workers, volunteers and anyone who is interested in how creative engagement can nurture global citizenship and empathic action around local and global justice themes.

Crawford Supported Studios http://crawfordsupportedstudios.com/

Crawford Supported Studios provides a facilitated studio space for artists with intellectual disabilities. A strong collaborative relationship has grown between MTU Crawford and Crawford Art Gallery, with participants ordinarily meeting on a weekly basis in the Gallery on Tuesdays and at (MTU) Grand Parade on Thursdays to develop their artwork. In addition to providing practical support to enable artistic engagement, the project challenges us as cultural institutions to consider fresh approaches to ability, education, gallery programming and cultural citizenship. Crawford Supported Studios exists through partnership with Cork City Council, MTU Crawford, Crawford Art Gallery and Cope Foundation.

Pause | Explore | Flourish - A Creative Journal to Nurture Wellbeing

This idea for this publication was born out of a growing awareness of the importance of building student resilience, particularly at times of transition. At MTU Crawford we have a strong belief in the role the arts can play in supporting wellbeing: enabling us to engage with the world through all our senses, developing our capacity for wonder, opening us up to the possibility that there is more than one way to view our circumstances, connecting us to each other, giving us permission to play, etc. The creative wellbeing journal has been an exciting and timely project to be involved in and is the product of real collaboration among staff and students in the Dept of Arts in Health & Education, backed by current research into the area of wellbeing. The project development was made possible through MTU's Teaching & Learning Unit and SATLE funding. Ongoing research, both to support the project development, and now its implementation, has been supported by MTU's Research Office, with further funding this year from Anseo "Transitions to MTU". The MTU Arts Office have funded the first print run.

Perceptions 2016 https://www.perceptions2016.com

Perceptions 2016 – book of essays: http://www.perceptions2016.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Perceptions-2016-book-WEB.pdf